Roly-Poly Dolls | 2nd Doctor

The countdown to Doctor Who series 10 continues with The Twelve-ish Doctor Dolls! Today’s post is a tribute to Patrick Troughton’s lovable incarnation of the Doctor. Complete with a miniature recorder and a crumpled handkerchief, this roly-poly 2nd Doctor doll might just be the universe’s most adorable cosmic clown.

Patterns:

The first step is to make the doll head and arms. Follow the directions in the pattern.

Next, paint the face. I used a bright, electric blue for Troughton’s eyes. I recommend using a paintbrush with a fine tip or the head of a pin to paint on the fine details.

Fill a fold top sandwich bag with birdseed or rice and tie off the top. It should be about the size of an orange or a small softball. Then it’s time to sew together the waistcoat and trousers. Follow the directions in the pattern.

The final step in making the waist coat and trousers involves gathering stitches around the neck of the doll. Here are some important tips to remember when gathering stitches:

Change the stitch length on your sewing machine to the longest stitch possible.

Do not back-stitch at the start or end of your line.

Make sure the two lines of stitches are parallel and do not cross paths.

Gather either all the top stitches or all the bottom stitches. Do not gather both the top and bottom.

Once the neck has been gathered and tied off, push the bag of birdseed through the bottom hole and tighten the drawstring. Tie off the drawstring.

Next, sew the collar that will accessorize the doll. Follow the directions in the pattern. Glue the collar around the neck of the doll using permanent adhesive. Fold back both ends of the collar and glue them down as well. Use pins to hold the collar in place while the glue dries.

The 2nd Doctor usually wears a crooked bow tie, because bow ties are cool! Use 1/8″ black ribbon to tie the bow tie. Tip: Tying the ribbon around a small, thin bamboo skewer gives you a base to work from. If you’re like me and don’t have a clue how to tie a bow tie, check out this handy site for step-by-step instructions and photos.

Now it’s time to sew the 2nd Doctor’s coat. Follow the directions in the pattern.

The next step is to glue on the hair. Unravel the crepe wool hair and use a steamer or a hair straightener to take out the curl. Apply glue along the hairline of the doll. Cut off small strips of the wool, stretch them out into a 1-inch line, and stick one end into the glue. Use more glue as needed to glue down the hair. With the 2nd Doctor, you’re going for a mop top style, so glue on more strips of wool hair as needed to fill in the hair. After the glue has dried, use scissors to trim off any excess hair. You can also use some hair gel and hairspray to control any flyaway hairs.

Sew the red handkerchief using the instructions in the pattern. Roll up the handkerchief and glue the end down using permanent adhesive. Fold the handkerchief in half. Glue one half of the handkerchief behind the lapel of the coat so that the other half sticks out. You can use pins to hold it in place while the glue dries, just be careful not to puncture the bag of birdseed underneath.

No 2nd Doctor doll would be complete without a recorder! Carefully cut off a 1-inch piece from the bamboo skewer using an exacto knife or woodcarving tools. Carve the wood to look like a miniature recorder. Paint blue and white strips around the body of the recorder. Paint on some finger holes, tie some blue thread around the bottom, and glue the finished mini recorder in the doll’s hand.

Ta-da! A clownish and disheveled but always charming and delightful 2nd Doctor doll!

Come back tomorrow for the next installment in The Twelve-ish Doctor Dolls! Tomorrow’s post will show you how to make your very own roly-poly 3rd Doctor doll!

What’s your favorite 2nd Doctor episode or moment? Let me know in the comments below! My favorite moment is when the Doctor and Jamie are bungling the intelligence tests in “The Dominators”. Help the Doctor fight against the terrible things hiding in the corners of the universe by sharing this post with your friends and fellow Whovians! And when I say run, run!